How can FutureDerm be the first moisturizer to be as unique as you are?

byRandy Schueller

Randy wonders…It’s nice when I get to ask a question for a change! I notice that one of the ads on our site, for FutureDerm, features a claim that seems rather intriguing to me. It says that “FutureDerm Specialist is the first moisturizer as unique as you are.” I’ve seen this kind of claim 1000 times and generally it’s driven more by marketing hype than by science. So, being the skeptical Beauty Brain that I am, I reached out directly to FutureDerm founder Nicki Zevola to get the true scoop. See below for her responses to my questions.

Disclaimer: FutureDerm is a paid advertiser on this site but they did not solicited this post. I was just curious to find out how they support this claim.

Nicki responds:

What do you mean when you say this is the “first moisturizer as unique as you are?”

With the FutureDerm Specialist Customizable Moisturizer System, we finally have a moisturizer with over 120 possible configurations, and that number will be growing with future versions of the product. We have harnessed the power of the internet and connecting with each individual customer to create this technology; you are no longer a “type” or a “number,” but an individual. And we not only want to learn your story and what makes your skin unique, but use that to formulate the ideal combination of ingredients to address your concerns. Most “customized” moisturizers are available offline, and bulk retail makes it difficult to ship 120+ variations of product to a retailer. This forces customers into a “type” categorization, such as with the famous Clinique 3-Step System with 4 skin types. There is more variation in skin than this; as your sophisticated readers will understand at The Beauty Brains, a single individual can experience significant changes in his or her skin based upon changes in age, hormones, stress level, temperature, humidity, etc. The skin is the body’s largest organ, and it is indicative of what is going on internally as well as what the individual has been exposed to externally.

How is this product unique?

We want to know your story. We begin with an 8-question questionnaire on FutureDerm.com/Moisturizer, and we have an open form to learn more. We then follow up within the next 2 weeks with a series of questions: What have you used before? What worked for you? What didn’t work? What is going on in your life right now? The product is designed so we remember your story, you as an individual. A vial of FutureDerm Customizable Moisturizer is designed to last for at least 30 days. So come back after 30 days and tell us, how did the moisturizer work for you? is your skin the same? Or are you going through something different? Tell us about it. We want to bring back that human connection that has been so lost through mass commercialization. Think more apothecary in the 1800’s rather than going to a store as an anonymous person, picking up a standard-mix jar, praying it’s the one for you. This is using the best of chemistry and really caring about people to create them something wonderful, completely for them.

Does it work better/differently than other moisturizers?

We begin by understanding the basics of your skin: do you have dry, normal, normal/combination, or oily skin? We start with the right base, based on what you tell us there. Moving forward, whether you have age spots, fine lines/wrinkles, skin sagging, or other concerns, we add in ingredients demonstrated in peer-reviewed scientific research to make a difference in the appearance of those. And then we take it a step further: based on how severe the concern is, we turn up the dial on it. But it gets into a further layer of complexity as we will dial up and down based upon your stress level, climate, allergies, and products you have used in the past with and without success. So, again, it is really exclusively for you.

Why is it the FIRST product to be unique? Does it contain some kind of technology that differentiates it from all other products?

The algorithm behind FutureDerm Specialist Customizable Moisturizer is patent-pending. The technology has been developed to stabilize over 120 different combinations of ingredients, and that number is growing. Version 2 will have over 200 combinations, and I hope to get this well over 1000 in the future. As an added bonus, we even print your name on the label — we really want to drive home the point that this is made exclusively, especially, passionately for you.

The Beauty Brains bottom line

So there the answer to my questions, straight from the source. As far as I am concerned Nicki’s response shows well reasoned support for the claim. Does that mean it’s guaranteed to work any better for any individual person? I haven’t not seen any data to that effect. But it’s certainly the first product I’ve seen to offer this level of customization. If that’s appealing to you then FutureDerm Specialist may be worth a try.

I’m not impressed. In fact, I used to read FutureDerm a while ago, but it generally didn’t leave this bad of a taste. If I had to choose the parts that were the most off-putting, I would be torn between the obnoxious pandering (‘as your sophisticated readers will understand at The Beauty Brains’) and the inane ‘we treat the *person*, not the disease’ approach that is such a favorite of traditional quackery (such as homeopathy). There is no way you can make a product that does everything, takes into account everything AND is actually based on peer-reviewed research in any meaningful way.

‘we really want to drive home the point that this is made exclusively, especially, passionately for you’
Well, worry not, it’s painfully obvious that is what you want to drive home.

That said, I have to admit that your craftily-worded bottom line made me smile. Because when you say that the claim is a well-supported one, all that you are saying is that the gimmick does indeed sound unique (which is all that was actually claimed in the first place), aren’t you?

It is indeed the very first time a cosmetic/beauty line have considered different variables to meet my specific needs (to an extent, obviously). I am living in the Caribbean (my skin is not appropriate for this weather, i am very white) and have oily, acne-prone skin. Most products made for oily skin come from labs in countries where the weather is completely different from where I live (suffocating hot temperature with a beach humidity for 9 months a year) and because of it I end up giving up of almost all moisturizers because they dont consider these additional factors. This same skin of mine (oily, acne-prone) changed completely when I spend the winter in Europe; my skin dries up, cracks down and the products I had did not fit my needs anymore. FutureDerm gave almost exactly what I was looking for at this moment of my life.

So – I have been using FutureDerm for several months now. I purchased the FutureDerm Extraordinary Treatment Set, which includes theVitamin CE Caffeic Silk Serum 16+2, the Time-Release Retinol and the Specialist Customizable Moisturizer. I really really like the Vit C & Retinol. I don’t necessarily dislike the Customizable Moizturizer, it’s just that I haven’t seen any remarkable results. Yes, there is an 8-question questionnaire but I have yet to see the “open form to learn more” about my skin and everything else going on in my life. Also, no one from FutureDerm as never followed-up with me even though they claim, “We then follow up within the next 2 weeks with a series of questions: What have you used before? What worked for you? What didn’t work? What is going on in your life right now?” And my customizable moisturizer definitely did not have my name on the container! So – Nicki Zevola is very much incorrect: there is absolutely zero follow-up, the customer’s name is not on the moisturizer and if there is a follow-up form – it is not easily found on the website! Also, after reading about Nicki Zevola, I see no credentials at all for any area of skin care/dermatology: not a cosmetologist, not an aesthetician, not an MD or DO. So what makes her an expert? I sincerely hope she has doctors working for her who develop all these customizable moisturizers – if not, who knows what her customers are putting on their skin!!